SwissVan Posted August 29, 2008 Share If you need a 34 small ring you may as well walk' date=' it would be faster! Even in Suikerbosrand I was happy riding a 39 small ring 25-14 cassette gear ratio.[/quote'] Suikerbosrand, does they have snow onit in winter?Also used to ride suikerbos with a 53/39 - 11/23 Now I'm a bit older and lazy wiserAs Titus said depends on your preference to spin or grind, I support the who spins wins philosphy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willehond Posted August 29, 2008 Share If you need a 34 small ring you may as well walk' date=' it would be faster! Even in Suikerbosrand I was happy riding a 39 small ring 25-14 cassette gear ratio.[/quote']Do you think you turn out more power riding a big gear at a low cadence ? Try riding with a powermeter and you may be surprised. Very true. I thought my power meter lied when I switch to an easier gear and my power goes up! It might feel more painful to grind, but you are not actually outputting more watts. probably less like jabba says Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIRR Posted August 29, 2008 Share If you need a 34 small ring you may as well walk' date=' it would be faster! Even in Suikerbosrand I was happy riding a 39 small ring 25-14 cassette gear ratio.[/quote']Do you think you turn out more power riding a big gear at a low cadence ? Try riding with a powermeter and you may be surprised. Amazingly I have actualy used a powermeter before and those funny things you strap onto your chest that tell you your heart is beating really fast. I am also able to spin in my gears on those climbs. Imho it comes down to what kind of riding you are planning to do. Do you want to just go along at an easy pace and enjoy the view, or ride as fast as is in your ability? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIRR Posted August 29, 2008 Share If you need a 34 small ring you may as well walk' date=' it would be faster! Even in Suikerbosrand I was happy riding a 39 small ring 25-14 cassette gear ratio.[/quote'] Sure, but not with a 11-23 cassette Whats the point of changing your entire crankset so you can have a small gear ratio cassette on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jabbathemutt007 Posted August 29, 2008 Share If you need a 34 small ring you may as well walk' date=' it would be faster! Even in Suikerbosrand I was happy riding a 39 small ring 25-14 cassette gear ratio.[/quote'] Sure, but not with a 11-23 cassette Whats the point of changing your entire crankset so you can have a small gear ratio cassette on? The compact does also give you a wider gear selection with fewer duplications. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkD Posted August 29, 2008 Share If I have to tell you all one more time that compact is for ............. Compact is for people who actually understand maths..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iven Posted August 29, 2008 Share If I have to tell you all one more time that compact is for ............. Compact is for people who actually understand maths..... Was compact your first choice or did it come on that lovely bike of yours? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flowta Posted August 29, 2008 Share It is for a girl mate' date=' for her Cyclocross bike. She's currently riding off road with a 53-39 and a 12-25 on the back and wondering why it's a little harder than her mtb.[/quote'] The old MTB cranks use to have 5 holes and a BCD of 110mm, same as todays compact cranks. hmmm, 15 years on change the name and you have a winner. (Gotta love marketting) At least now I can get chainrings for my old Deore DX cranks, without going the whole ebay/vintage route Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkD Posted August 29, 2008 Share If I have to tell you all one more time that compact is for ............. Compact is for people who actually understand maths..... Was compact your first choice or did it come on that lovely bike of yours? I had the choice and I did the maths... For the record - I do prefer the compact and it seems to work for me , but I do not think it is worth the money to "upgrade" if you are currently riding 53/39. Buying a new bike there was no additional cost so it made sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greatwhite Posted August 29, 2008 Share Any one considered the mechanical aspects? Compact is lighter - smaller sprocket, chainrings and shorter chain, but longevity is reduced because forces are increased and there are less teeth to take the increased forcesIf you're strong and have no bucks, std is the way to go. If you are not so strong and you have excess cash for spares, then compact is the way to go Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ox_Wagon Posted September 1, 2008 Share You also get a closer spaced cassette with smaller jumps, which is lighter too. <?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> If you?re strong you can get your self a corn cob cassette with single tooth jumps. Ok, Ok it jumps two teeth at the end (11-12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-21)??? I also have an old XT crank that uses the 110BCD bolting circle.<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />Ox_Wagon2008-09-01 08:48:41 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willehond Posted September 1, 2008 Share It all makes sense, but no matter what you do, you will NEVER trump an 11-53 with a compact crank and that is the reason it will forever be associated with wimps. Sad, but true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ox_Wagon Posted September 1, 2008 Share It is only relevant if your sprinting and for most of us it will be for the XXXX position (Fill in what ever bunch your in), which in my opinion is sad but then again I am not into trying to win the F/G/H etc bunch. If you buy stuff due to peer pressure by all means go ahead buy what ever is in fasion at the moment.<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> There is the old 80/20 % thumb rule. Choose the solution that that gives you the best performance 80% of the time. Then ask your how much time your going to spend in the 53-11 and how much time your will be enjoying a closer ration cassette. The rule can also be flipped in the opposite direction in that it does not make sense spending 80% money to get a 20% advantage which a typical crank swap will entail. So if your having problems climbing and already have a std crank it makes sense, money wise, to just swap the cassette. Ox_Wagon2008-09-01 09:31:52 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbie Posted September 1, 2008 Share On the advice from a cycling friend i changed from 12 / 25 to 12 / 27 (Shimano 105) - to make things a little easier when I got my road bike after having been spoilt with a granny gear at the front on my first bike... (it was a rather hectic adjustment to ride without "granny"...)Now with all this talk of having a compact crank making hills easier etc etc, it sure sounds appealing to me. Having changed to 12/27 on the back is it still possible for me to change to a compact crank in the front? 2nd question... what price (approx. labour and cost of crank) 3rd question... worth it? I know with training the hills get easier, but I would also like to enoy the scenery at times without having blurred vision... anyone?bobbie2008-09-01 10:21:03 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turtlek Posted September 1, 2008 Share 53 is faster' date=' only ladies(sorry guys) use a 50 [/quote'] well said STM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoLefty!! Posted September 1, 2008 Share when I replace my Campakker stuck record I will go for a groupset with a compact drive train. It makes sense and longevity won't be an issue. There not enough difference in size to make it an issue on a road bike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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